Nina, Silverlake

I was working 9-5, and always trying to fit in hair removal appointments with my favorite waxer & favorite threader. I was constantly thinking about things like threading my upper lip hairs — if I make an appointment now, would there be enough hairs by Saturday? Or, would I have too many by Saturday — would I be walking around all week with a mini mustache? Did my threader even work on Saturdays? By the way, what about waxing these hairs on my bikini line?
I looked into alternative hair removal methods. Reading about electrolysis, and the thought of little needles repeatedly entering my hair follicles? Thanks, but that sounded like something I wanted to do NEVER. I have such an aversion to needles, that I once snuck out of my doctor’s office when they wanted to draw blood. Plus, I didn’t even know anyone who’d ever done electrolysis, though I knew tons of people who’d tried laser hair removal. If electrolysis were so awesome, wouldn’t I have heard about it already? Still, I couldn’t get myself to do laser: I’d have to buy a pack of sessions up-front, and there was no guarantee I’d have results. I couldn’t get myself to trust a technology that seemed so unpredictable. One day, I decided I’d had enough. I found Alison on Yelp and gave her a call. I was hesitant about volunteering myself as a human pin cushion, but Alison suggested I could try a 10-minute appointment — if it wasn’t for me, I’d never come back again. No packages or commitment? Sign me up!
When I arrived early the day of my appointment, I could hear Alison working on another client. They were having a perfectly ordinary conversation — no bloodcurdling screams as I’d expected. My 10-minute appointment turned into 30 minutes. Since that day, I’ve had cheeks, chin, upper lip, eyebrow, toes (yes, toes), and underarms done. Alison’s been through electrolysis herself, so she knows how to minimize any discomfort (hint: ice and maybe Advil beforehand). The sensation feels like pointy tweezers tapping the surface your skin — and eventually it feels warm, like you’ve had a heat pack pressed against your skin. Really, not that dramatic.
I’m still a giant wimp, but now I’m just a giant wimp about other things! Electrolysis is one of the best things I’ve done for myself. It has simplified my life greatly, and I’m only sorry that I didn’t try it sooner.